SMU Assistant Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's prerogative to decide on the time of the by-election does not enable him to delay it inordinately or call for a by-election. While it isn't clear when a decision might be issued, it ought to be done within the next three to six months. Prof Tan said also that although some analysts think the delay suggests the PAP is more concerned with the ramifications of a by-election loss than upholding voters' rights, the party may be "reading too much into its electoral fortunes in Hougang".
The Wall Street Journal